Diamond hopes for Olympic call

EMILY Diamond is sweating over a call-up for the Great Britain 4x400m relay squad for the Olympic Games.

In here first serious season over the one-lap distance, the 21-year-old Bristol & West AC runner finished a splendid fourth in the 400m final at the Olympic trials over the weekend. That leaves Diamond tantalisingly close to a place in the relay squad which would more than make up for being rather surprisingly overlooked for the European Championships in Helsinki that start on Wednesday.

She said: "The conditions meant that the times were not going to be fast so it was all about beating people which is what I managed to do.

"I really cannot complain after finishing fourth in the Olympic trials in only my fifth ever 400m race. I have given myself a chance of making the relay squad, but we'll see what happens in the next few days."

Yate-born Beijing Olympian Zoe Derham was runner-up in the hammer and Bristol & West AC life member Jo Pavey won the 5000m.